If You Can't Take the Heat...
by Splinter
Summary: Just a short, pointless, fic that tumbled into my brain thanks to my 4 year old son's attempt at cooking me breakfast in bed. Anyways..the four eight year old turtles try to do something nice for Splinter


"Bye Sensei," Leonardo said with a small wave.  
  
"Don't worry about us," Donatello echoed.  
  
"We'll be good," Michaelangelo finished long after his master was out of sight, disappearing down a sewer tunnel to retrieve some much needed supplies.  
  
After a few moments, Raphael stuck his head into the room. "Is he gone?" he whispered.  
  
"Yeah," Donny said closing the door to the lair. "Do you have the book?"  
  
Raph tossed the book to Mike and the four brothers crowded around it. "This one," Michaelangelo said pointing at a picture.  
  
"Are you sure?" Leo asked. "It looks kind of hard."  
  
"This is the one," Mike insisted. "B…banana…cr…cream cake." He traced his finger over the words as he read them. He wasn't as good at reading yet as his brothers.  
  
"Damn, this looks like a lot of work," Raph complained.  
  
Leo frowned at him. "Sensei will wash your mouth out with soap again if you talk like that."  
  
Raphael sneered. "Well, he isn't here now is he to catch me. Unless you're planning on tattling. Anyway, I was just saying that it will be a lot of work. Why are we doing this again?"  
  
"Because it's Mother's Day," Don explained.  
  
Mike giggled. "Only Splinter isn't a woman."  
  
"Yeah, but it's not like they have a Sensei's Day or anything," Leo said thoughtfully. "And Splinter does do things that mothers on TV do."  
  
"So we're making him a cake," Mike declared leading the way into the kitchen. He thrust the recipe book at Donatello. "Here Donny. You're better at reading than the rest of us."  
  
"What do we do first?" Leonardo asked.  
  
Donny sat at the kitchen table and held open the book. "It says preheat over to 350 degrees."  
  
The four eight year old brothers looked at each other in dismay.  
  
"We're not supposed to touch the oven," Mike whispered.  
  
There was silence for a minute and then Raph snorted. "We'll figure something out. Go on, Donny. What else."  
  
"Grease one 10x12 baking pan," Don continued.  
  
Leonardo knelt on the floor and rummaged around in the cabinet, finally pulling out a metal pan. "Will this work? I think it's the only pan we have." He set it down on the table.  
  
"What do we grease it with?" Raphael asked.  
  
Donatello scanned down the words quickly. "It doesn't say."  
  
Mike bit his lip thoughtfully and then snapped his fingers. "I know!" He ran over to the stove and looked into a frying pan that was sitting there. "There's still grease in here from the bacon Splinter cooked this morning."  
  
He picked up the pan and brought it to the table where they all scooped some out and smeared it on the baking pan.  
  
"Careful, Mike," Leo hissed. "You dropped some on the rug."  
  
Mike shrugged. "I'll clean it up later." He wiped his hands off on a towel and passed it to Raph. "Okay, now what?"  
  
"S…S…sep..separate two eggs," Don stammered sounding out the words.  
  
Raphael's eyes narrowed in confusion. "How do you separate eggs?"  
  
Mike opened the refrigerator and pulled the egg carton out. He grabbed two and studied them carefully.  
  
"Maybe it means putting them on opposite sides of the pan," Leo suggested.  
  
Mike shrugged and nodded and placed them carefully in the pan—one at each end.  
  
"Shouldn't we take the shell off first?" Raph asked.  
  
Don looked up from the book. "It doesn't say to."  
  
"And we have to follow the directions exactly," Leo said. He looked at Don. "Next?"  
  
"Add two cups of milk," Don read.  
  
Raph looked in the cabinets and pulled out two cups. "Big cup or little cup?"  
  
"Um…I don't know," Don replied with a shrug.  
  
"Let's use the big cup," Mike said. "Splinter likes milk."  
  
Raphael got the milk and poured two huge cupfuls into the pan. The flour and sugar followed suit.  
  
"One teaspoon of vanilla," Don continued.  
  
Leo studied the contents of the cabinets. "We have vanilla flavored coffee." He scooped out a teaspoon and added it to the pan.  
  
"Add two whole pealed bananas," Donny finished. "And mix well."  
  
Mike tossed in the bananas. "Uh..how do we mix it?"  
  
Raph grabbed a large spoon and stirred it for a few seconds. "There it's mixed."  
  
"Now all we have to do is bake it," Mike declared with a smile and then frowned.  
  
"We still can't use the oven," Leo reminded them.  
  
The brothers were all quiet, thinking of how they could still surprise their sensei without getting into trouble.  
  
Then Mike's face brightened. "Hey, Leo. Aren't you allowed to light the candles?"  
  
Leo's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, why?"  
  
"Well, we can hold the pan over the fire and bake it that way," Mike suggested.  
  
"Oh no, Mike," Leo said quickly. "I'm only allowed to light the candles if the lights go out."  
  
"Come on, Leo," Donny urged. "It's for a good cause."  
  
"Yeah," Raphael added with a grin. "Don't you wanna do something nice for Master Splinter?"  
  
"Yeah but…" He stopped and looked at the eager faces of his brothers. They had been planning this for so long and it wouldn't be right to disappoint them. He sighed. "Okay. I'll go get the matches."  
  
Months ago while Splinter had been out late at night, the power had gone out leaving the four turtles in darkness for several hours. It had terrified them so much that Splinter had shown Leonardo how to light the candles safely should it happen again. But he had made it clear to Leonardo the punishment for playing with fire for any other reason. And the prospect wasn't pleasant.  
  
Leo retrieved the matches and lit two candles, bringing them to the table.  
  
"Okay," Mike said. "We'll take turns holding the pan over the fire until the cake is cooked." He picked up the pan and held it out over the flames.  
  
"How long is this going to take?" Raph asked.  
  
"The book says 1-3 hours," Donatello sighed.  
  
"Sensei will be back before 3 hours," Mike exclaimed. "Leo, get more candles. Maybe it'll cook it faster."  
  
Leo reluctantly brought two more lit candles over. "That's it," he said. "No more."  
  
"I don't think we'll need anymore," Mike said. "The pan's getting….yeoww!!" He tossed the suddenly red hot pan in the air showering Raph and Don with the contents. The turtles could only watch as the pan hit the candles and knocked them to the floor. Unfortunately, two if them hit the grease Mike had dropped earlier and quickly ignited it and the small area rug it had been spilled on. The other two hit the cement floor and were extinguished.  
  
"Oh shit!" Raphael cried jumping back. Donatello toppled backwards out of the chair to get away from the flames.  
  
"Quick, throw water on it!" Mike screamed.  
  
Raphael grabbed a bowl and filled it with water as Don struggled to get up.  
  
"No!" Donatello yelled. "You can't throw water on a grease fire!"  
  
Too late. Raph tossed the water on the blaze and was barely able to get out of the way of the resulting explosion.  
  
Leonardo came running into the room with a blanket and began beating at the flames trying to get them out.  
  
"Mike, throw me the flour!" Donatello ordered his dazed brother.  
  
Michaelangelo shook off his stupor and did as requested. Donatello poured the entire bag on the fire and combined with Leonardo's blanket got it down to a more manageable level. Seconds later it was completely out.  
  
Breathing heavy, Leo looked around. "Everyone alright? Mike? Raph?"  
  
Mike looked down at his burned fingers. "I'll be okay."  
  
Raphael just nodded and stared at the damage they had caused. The rug was ruined. The table was blackened and partially burned, and flour covered most of the rest of the floor. Not to mention the eggs, milk, sugar and other ingredients that now decorated the room.  
  
"Come on, Mike," Donatello said. "I'll get some ointment for your fingers."  
  
"Me and Raph will start cleaning up," Leo said. "Maybe Splinter won't notice the rug missing or the table burned or the hole in his blanket…" He sighed. "I am dead."  
  
"Leonardo! Michaelangelo!" The turtles turned and recognized the unmistakable sound of their sensei's voice. "Raphael! Donatello!" He was calling from the living room and he was getting closer.  
  
Mike whimpered and hid behind Donatello with his aching fingers in his mouth.  
  
Raphael considered faking a fainting spell and just decided to push Leonardo closer to the door Splinter would come through. Their master ran into the kitchen and stopped short.  
  
"I thought I had smelled smoke." Splinter looked around. "What has happened?" He looked at each of his students before his gaze fell and rested on Leonardo. "I would like an explanation."  
  
1.1 Leo gulped. "Well, see, Master….we just wanted to give you a Mother's Day gift…"  
  
  
  
  
  
It was four very contrite and chastised turtles that climbed into bed an hour later. Splinter had been touched by their motives but very angry at their actions. And even the purest of intentions wouldn't have saved them from their punishments. Unfortunately for Leonardo, he got the worst of it, having been the one who lighted the fire.  
  
"It's not so bad," Donatello said with a sigh from a lower bunk. "We can go two weeks without television."  
  
Leonardo looked over the side and glared down at him. He would be sleeping on his stomach tonight and probably tomorrow night as well.  
  
"Sorry, Leo," Don whispered sheepishly.  
  
Leonardo sighed. "That's okay. I knew better and did it anyway." He put his head back on his pillow. "Even Sensei said the thought was nice."  
  
Mike studied the bandages on his fingers. "At least I won't have to put in the extra practice sessions for awhile."  
  
Above Mike, Raphael stared at the ceiling with a scowl. "Or write 'I will not disobey my master and play with fire until I am given permission to do so' five hundred times. Wish I had been lucky enough to burn my fingers."  
  
The door to the room opened and Splinter looked in. "That is enough talking. You are being punished, now go to sleep."  
  
"Yes, Sensei," four unhappy voiced chorused.  
  
Splinter smiled at them. "I want you to know that I appreciate your efforts to surprise me today. I do not approve of your methods, but the idea was present enough. Now, go to sleep." He closed the door and his sons smiled to themselves.  
  
"See it wasn't all bad," Michaelangelo said.  
  
"Yeah," Donatello agreed.  
  
"Guess not," Leonardo echoed.  
  
"I suppose," Raphael said.  
  
There was silence for a couple seconds and then Mike piped up excitedly. "Hey! When's Father's Day?"  
  
His brothers all looked at him in disbelief and suddenly Michaelangelo was slammed with pillows.  
  
  
  
Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!!! 


End file.
